Brooklyn Gets Serious About Comedy

Stand-Up Comedians Find an Increasing Number of Alternative Venues in the Borough That Are Open to Experimentation

By

Andy Beta

Updated Feb. 5, 2011 12:01 a.m. ET

As many a joke might start: A guy walks into a bar. It happens every Sunday night, when Hannibal Buress strolls the two blocks from his Williamsburg apartment to the Knitting Factory, where he hosts a weekly comedy night.

A native of Chicago, the 27-year-old comedian relocated to Brooklyn two years ago to have "better opportunities for comedy and writing," he said. Within a year, he was writing for "Saturday Night Live" and had worked his way into an opening slot for the popular indie-rock band Les Savy Fav on the club's inaugural night. The venue then asked Mr. Buress to curate a weekly stand-up showcase. These days, his Sunday shows are well-attended affairs, the booths and folding chairs filled with many more standing in the back.

"To me, it's not about what's lacking in Manhattan as opposed to what's thriving in Brooklyn," said comedian Eugene Mirman, via email. "The vibrant alt-comedy scene that used to be centered in the East Village a few years ago has now become scattered throughout Brooklyn."

Much like Mr. Buress, Mr. Mirman's weekly show, called "Good Friends," is a two-block walk from his Park Slope apartment, commencing every Sunday night in the basement at Union Hall.

There are also weekly events like "Hot Tub" at the new Gowanus venue Littlefield, hosted by "The Daily Show" correspondent Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler; comedian Yannis Pappas's "Ditch Comedy Night" at Bar 4 in Park Slope; and "Big Terrific" at Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg, hosted by former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Jenny Slate along with Gabe Liedman and Max Silvestri. In addition, monthly shows keep popping up at clubs like Zebulon, Coco 66 and Bruar Falls, providing even more underground options.

"There's a difference between comedy clubs in the city and live-music venues in Brooklyn," said Mr. Buress on a recent Sunday before he took the stage. "Shows like mine are free or low cost, while comedy clubs have a lot more invested. It's more tourist-based."

ENLARGE

Eugene Mirman has his own weekly show two blocks from his Park Slope apartment.
Getty Images

The high cost of operating a space in New York City is partially to blame for the comedy exodus. "As soon as you break away from that Manhattan rent choke-collar, you have more options available to how you run your space," said Mr. Braunohler. "You have more leeway in Brooklyn. You can take more risks and experiment more."

Recent samplings of such experimentation include a comedian who rapped punch lines via his homemade hip-hop songs, and another who performed his routines while accompanying himself on a ukulele.

At "Big Terrific" recently, there was a slideshow of actor John Lithgow's face as the hosts riffed on it. For a recent holiday edition of "Hot Tub," in addition to a bill of emerging comedians, there was live portraiture, a burlesque dancer and a Tupperware container of fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies next to the email sign-up sheet. The night was capped by a fire twirler in the Littlefield courtyard.

Some joke topics are exclusive to the local audience—MTA ads and the ethnic make-up of Brooklyn—but some mainstays of alt-comedy also crop up: Recreational drug use, TV shows, vomit, religion and pornography appear frequently.

A veteran of the stand-up circuit in the city, Mr. Braunohler said, "I feel like I have to work harder to get the audience at comedy clubs [in Mahattan] to just shut up and listen to some jokes."

He said he finds the outer boroughs to be a more comfortable fit. "In Brooklyn, the audiences are excited to listen, and they're usually smart and comedy-aware."

Having performed material inside peoples' apartments and on a rooftop in Bushwick the past few years, Mr. Braunohler and his ilk are flexible enough to thrive in just about any environment, nightclub or not.

"Comedians are like cockroaches," he said, "they'll just sneak in and set up a show where ever there's some light and a sound system."

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